Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Ahhhh.....it feels so good to spend some time back in the craft room and just create! Sometimes I think I get so hung up on what I really HAVE to do (even regarding what needs to be crafted for this or for that) that it drags me down and I lose my creative juices. Once in a while I need to create something just because! It does help me - and while it's not what I SHOULD be working on, it gives me motivation and inspiration.

And that's where today's card(s) came from. I should have been working on some projects that NEED to be done, but I was feeling uninspired, lackluster....you get the drift, right?

This card was pretty simple, and yet I looked at the new pack of Sweet Sorbet DSP (Sale-a-Bration 2014!!!) and thought -

Yikes! I can't work with this stuff. I mean look at that black pattern on the front of the card - WOW! Vivid, bold - FUN! In those cases I have to remember that less is more. Use those bold patterns in small quantities. That way they won't overwhelm.

For this card I even did some fun stuff on the inside - not very typical for me....but I love it, and will hope to finish off my cards more often!

Because I'm a Libra - and don't like to make decisions - I decided to make the same card using a black card base. And....I can't decide which one I like better.....they are both good....

Which one do you like better?I'd love to stick around and chat - but this girl has a new refrigerator coming today! I'm excited as a new puppy! I've wanted a new fridge for YEARS! Finally, I just ordered one. Here's what's really crazy - we measured our old fridge (a used one we've had for 12+ years!) and it's only about 15cu feet. That's a small fridge for a family of 5 - that small! The new one is 22 cu ft. I'm gonna feel like I could get lost in it....New Online Class - Envelope Punch Board Class

Monday, December 30, 2013

Ahhhh.....I'm back from my hiatus! I can't believe it's been two months....and I'm terribly sorry to leave you hanging for so long. From Halloween on, it's just been one thing after another. I feel like I've been away from my house non-stop. I do want to THANK YOU for sticking with me for the duration tho - it means a lot to me that so many of you have emailed to be sure I'm ok, and have continued to check back for new content!

Today, I'm thankful for many things. It's snowing for one! I couldn't be happier. Well - it could snow more....then I'd be happier! My children have been getting along like a gem the last couple of days - for that I'm super Thankful! And it may sound bad to say, but I'm actually thankful all of our Christmas Festivities are over.

We have 6 different family Christmas gatherings to attend, and it gets to be a little much in the end. While I love all of our extended families, it's the dragging the kids here and there that gets tiresome.

PLUS - It never fails either - I have a major meltdown every year. After all of the wrapping of gifts and cooking and outfit selecting, I have a Christmas Cryfest. Just ask my husband. I'm a hot mess. This year it was on Christmas Eve morning. I knew I was being overly crabby. I was snapping at my kids, I was snapping at my husband. Finally around 1pm in the afternoon I caved -

I poured myself a glass of wine!

Yep!

I'm not afraid to admit it.

Something needed to relax me a bit. It worked! I was better by Christmas morning. Then, this last Saturday, as we were getting ready for yet another Christmas Celebration, my husband started to take over the crabby-pants! We had Christmas both this last Saturday and Sunday, too. (And both Saturday and Sunday the week before, and Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day!) He said next year we're gonna have to skip 2 of those!!! We'll see what next year brings. (Personally - I'd rather have more Thanksgiving then Christmas - and I think that's mainly because people don't really lose site of it's meaning. It hasn't completely been commercialized. )

Alright.....So.....I'm sure you are ready to chat about a project today - right?

YES!

It's ABOUT TIME!!!!!

You saw the card above... let me tell you how easy it is to whip up:

First off, I sketched the card area on my grid paper, then selected an area for my "vanishing point". This helps to create the ray effect. I used a ruler to create lines for my rays, and made sure that the lines extended beyond the card area. (The card area is marked in the corners)

Then I selected the Designer Paper that I wanted to use. All of these came from the upcoming Occasions Catalog (to be released Jan. 2nd!) - these are Fresh Prints Paper Stack.

Then I cut each pattern down to 2-1/2" x 4-1/4" and laid each one onto the diagram I'd drawn. This is why I wanted those lines to extend beyond my card area. Now, I traced the lines onto the front of each patterned piece, and cut on the line.

Because I had selected 5 different patterns, I was able to actually make 4 cards with my pattern pieces! Bonus! I arranged them into different designs, and then glued them to the bottom front of my card. Once the glue was set and dried (I used Multipurpose Liquid Glue) I erased any pencil marks that remained.